The Mission Update

April 19th through May 26th

The school went on a field trip to Tuba City on the Rez and visited the Navajo Cultural Museum and then went to see the fossilized Dinosaur footprints located just outside of Tuba City. I didn't go with them, so I don't have a lot of details about the trip. The museum appeared to be an interactive one, where the kids got to small models of hogans out of sticks and to use a weaving loom and different cultural activities. There was an exhibit about the Navajo creation story. It is a very interesting story if you want to read it. Jerry and I borrowed it from the library here. It is called "Dine bahane". Apparently there was a dust storm while they were viewing the dinosaur tracks. They made a quick tour of it outside and then headed back to the buses.

While the school was on the field trip, I went to Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation and the seat of the government. It was a very nice drive. I traveled there to attend an orientation for the Navajo Tribal Clothing program. Each year, the Navajo Government provides articles of clothing for every child who has a Navajo census number and is enrolled in school. This year, the clothes provided were a coat, jeans and a pair of sneakers. This is a wonderful program and a blessing to the Navajo families that are eligible to received the clothing. The orientation was very informative! I have to say, it was one of the only times I have felt conspicuous because of my ethnicity. I was not the only Caucasian person at the meeting, but I was one of three that I could see.